Author: Iamincharge

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Sapiens: A brief history of human kind – Yuval Noah Harari

I enjoyed this book very much!

Professor Yuval takes the reader on a journey that starts thousands of years ago and up to present day. He has based his written on a great deal of scientific literature and he has a light approach to book. Not to mistake that he doesn’t take the subject seriously because he absolutely does. It is meant as he makes the book readable for a larger audience and he shows he sense of humor.

He brings up big questions like, why are we the only human species left? Why did we grow to conquer the world? And how, when there are several of other species that can kill us in an instant? When did religion kick in and why? How did you evolve from hunter and gatherers to become farmers? Politics, economy, industry, societies and the size of them, he manages to cover a lot in the book without it becoming difficult to follow.

The book puts human behavior on the spot and it’s difficult to ignore that what he writes is what you see when you walk outside your front door.

I know the book is a few years old but I didn’t hear about until this year and I can’t wait to read his Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow. 

It is worth to mention that the scientific papers that is the I foundation of the book, can be seen in several ways and his book is not the final answer to the evolution of human kind, but the authors take on it.

The book is still very interesting and I will read the sequel. Enjoy the book and read it with an open mind and remember it’s not the key to our history but a possible answer.

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Logan Lucky – Steven Soderbergh

I saw this comedy Logan Lucky directed by Steven Soderbergh the other day. Packed with hollywood stars, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, I was expecting a good comedy. Something better than the ones you watch half asleep on the sofa Sunday evening.

And I wasn’t disappointed, eventhough the story was like most other heist stories, no surprices here, it somehow made it to the finish line afterall.

Adam Driver I only know from Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens,  here he plays the brother who is convinced to take part in the heist during a NASCAR race. The Logan family Jimmy Logan played by Channing Tatum, Clyde Logan played by Adam Driver and sister Mellie Logan played by Riley Keough. The brothers don’t seem as the sharpest tools in the shed but manages to plot the heist including an escape from prison to free Joe Bang played by Daniel Craig, the bomber they need for the heist.

Well back to Adam Driver, he does an amazing job playing Clyde Logan, he is convincing as the slow brother, who has his own bar after returning from the war. All of the characters plays a convincing role, but I was just especially impressed by Adams performance!

The film has the signature of Steven Soderbergh, it resembles his Oceans Eleven. He manages to get his certain kind of humour out of his actors, they seem comfortable in their roles and delivers a absolutely believable performance.

Logan Lucky is funny, well written, well played and well directed. And eventhough Daniel Craig is mostly (for me at least) know for his role as James Bond, you only think James Bond fr the first few seconds before you just see him as Joe Bang.

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The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

I found this book by coincidence. Close by there are book cabinets located where everyone can exchange books. Just leave the ones that you have read and bring home new ones. It’s fantastic!

The narrator is Christopher Boone, a teenager with Asperger’s syndrome. He likes patterns, structure, math, anything you can put into a sytem, however he’s a bit challenged on the social side. At school he has an amazing teacher to help him understand people and what their behavior means.

Mark Haddon’s portrayal of this very special young man is outstanding and absoultely worth reading. Anyone who would like to try a different book, because they feel that the last 10 books looks almost alike, this is one to break that flow. Normally I don’t read young adult books but when reding the cover, it made me want to give it a go, and I’m so glad that I did.

Christopher Boone found his neighbour’s dog dead in her garden and decides to solve this murder mystery. It forces him to go out of his comfortzone, which is beyond the end of the road and beyond where the school bus takes him.

Actually I don’t want to tell to much about this book. It’s one of those books that must be read. It’s remarkable and different, its a breath of fresh air!

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Bunny Munros død – Nick Cave

Det er et stykke tid siden jeg læste Nick Caves bog om Bunny Munro, så jeg vil gøre mit bedste for at skrive et par ord om den.

Det er det første jeg har læst fra Nick Cave. Han skriver meget gribende og man føler sig trukket med ind og ned i historien. Og jeg siger ned i historien fordi det er en historie som beskriver hovedpersonen Bunny Munro og hans liv. Han er en yderst  ubehagelig person, et frygteligt menneske, et dumt svin, ubevist om andre, og selvglad der grænser til det urimelige. Nej, det grænser ikke til det urimelige, han er urimeligt selvglad. Engang imellem i korte øjeblikke får man medlidenhed med Bunny og det han går igennem med hans kones død og hans kamp for at gøre noget godt for sin søn, og så vender han på en fem-øre og det dumme svin han er springer frem i fuldt flor igen. Han er utiltalende hele vejen igennem, og hans sociale kompetencer mht. at forstå og føle andre mennesker er nær ikke eksisterende, og ifølge ham selv er han guds gave til kvinder.

Historien kører rundt på en følelsesmæssigt motorvej, uden fartbegrænsninger, i en nedadgående spiral hvor hastigheden på Bunnys nedtur kun går op. Bunny besidder et mørke som Nick Cave formår at beskrive så du næsten føler at du selv sidder svedig, storrygende, bagstiv fra dagen før og med hånden i skridtet i en faldefærdig gul Fiat Punto.

Bogen er sort, deprimerende, beskriver det værste i folk og Nick Cave gør det på den smukkeste og mest poetiske måde. Så hvis du har lyst til at læse noget andet end den sædvanlige krimi, der alligevel minder lidt om den forrige du læste, vil du i Bunny Munros død få en oplevelse udover det sædvanlige!

Nick Cave er en fabelagtig kunstner!

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John Steinbeck – Tortilla Flat

I’ve read a few of John Steinbecks books and it always amazes me how his writing leaves me with a feeling. I can’t remember the details of the book but the feeling of the characters, the smell of the streets, ocean, cheap wine, smoke from the fire place, dirt roads, the rising sun on your skin, the pine forrest still lingers.

After having reads hundreds of books in my life so far, I still can’t put words on what it is in his writing that just makes me completely absorbed when reading his books. I literally fell like a fly on the wall or a bystander.

Back to the Tortilla Flat (1935) the story revolves around the main character Danny and his friends in the books mentioned as paisanos living in Tortilla Flat in the outskirts of Monterey and actually working really hard to work as little as possible. The group of friends only own the shirt on their back until Danny inherits two houses. The freedom Danny knew from his days where he slept under the stars slowly began to decrease. He felt the weight of having to think of the house that he rents to his friends.

Their friendship goes way back and seem to be for life. On the other hand they can easily argue why one of the friends should have a good beating. They have their own set of unwritten rules and some things in a friendship is sacred to them. As an example, it is strictly forbidden to steal the Pirates money, but it is ok not to pay rent to Danny.

It is a very humorous book and it easily brings a smile to your face. Eventhough it seems to be a light and funny book it stills shows the difference between the poor paisanos living in Tortilla Flat compared to the people in Monterey, the difference in way of life. But also how important friendship is to people, what friends will do for each other.

It’s a beautiful book!

 

 

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Ex Machina (2014)

I watched Ex Machina for the first time last night. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it but someow I never got around to watching it.

It was amazing!

It’s a film about a programmer who have managed to build an AI and now wants to know if it has a conscience mind like a human being.

Alicia Vikander plays her character Ava beautifully, and throughout the film I was amazed by her facial expressions. She has her character completely under control. During the entire film I was so convinced about her intensions. I apparently only believe in the good in people, on the other hand Ava – the AI – is not human.

The excentric Nathan who has developed Ava is constantly a person whom you adore and hate, because of his ability to involve Caleb and his drunk periods. And as in many films I belived every now and then that he actually is the bad guy.

Caleb is very convincing as well as the talented programmer who is there to do the Turing test on Ava to see if she has her own conscience. His youth and innoscence toward Avas flirting is like watching a first love. He falls in love with her the moment he sees her.

Go watch it. It’s an amazing film!

 

Deus Ex Machina is latin for God from the machine. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina

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La femme Nikita

The french film back from 1990 written and directed by Luc Besson is a film about a convicted – Nikita –  and the choice she is given to be an assassin for the french government. She chooses to accept the offer and during her training she is molded into a pretty and perfect assassin designed for killing at command.

Soon after she is releashed back into the world she mets a man and they fall in love and they enjoy life together, until she gets the first call …Josephine?.. It becomes increasingly more difficult their relationship as he wants to know her better and she cannot give him any answers about her previous life.

However the person that she was before cannot seem to let her go, and the assassin life is not for her, and she disapears.

You see a woman who desparetly trying to get a hold of her life and yet it crumbles right in front of her. The scene where Josephine is to shot the woman through the bathroom window and Marco talks to her through the door, is absolutely heartbreaking. She was Josephine and Marie at the same time, professional and the woman in love.

No one in the film comes out of the story without serious scars, she leaves her love Marco, Marco is left behind alone, Bob is left a tortured man from his unreturned feelings for Nikita and she is gone.

La femme Nikita is not an action movie, so if you expect that you will be dissapointed. There are action scenes but it’s not the essence of the film.

Jean Reno – whom I adore and admire  – has a role as the cleaner. I have never ever watched a film with him where he disappoints me. He always always does a brilliant job and so also in this film.

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Jaws

This is one of my alltime favourites!

I don’t know exactly what it is, but this is close to a perfect film. The casting is good, the music fits, that 70’s vibe, the sounds..

Everybody (red. a lot of filminterested people) knows where that dadadada sounds comes from. You just know the shark is somewhere near. And the bell ringing on the buoy as the only sound with the waves silently lapping against the buoy.

The scene where they sit at the table after dinner and Quint start singing “Spanish ladies” and Quint and Hooper tell stories about the war and broken hearts. Each one having scars to tell their story.

Roy Schneider may just have been one of my first film actor crushes. He played in Cheif Martin Brody this strong and silent type. If he said it, it was done, he showed the loving father side and he faced his fears and went on a ship eventhough he was terrifed of water. And he managed to pull off these large 70s glasses, you gotta love that.

Yes, I know the shark wasn’t super fantastic made, I think they did a mighty fine job thinking of that the film was made in the 1975. But the film generate a feeling as if you standing right on the beach of Amity Island. You feel the anxiety of the people, you can feel the panic and sudden relief when you believe the shark has been caught in the beginning of the film. You feel for the shark or at least I did.

It’s just one of those films I can watch again and again.

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My first book to read “The prophet”

The first book I’ll write about is “The prophet” by Khalil Gibran.

Actually I haven’t read it yet, but.. It was recommended to me by a stranger last year on my summer vacation, and I bought it 6 months ago. Now I’m on my way for another summer vacation and I’m bringing “The prophet”.

I believe that it’s a book that needs to be read slowly and without stress and disturbance from the everyday life. So with my feet in perfect blue water, sun warming my body, I will block out the noices of the other people on the beach and enjoy the thrill of living a new and unexplored (for me) book.

…. Vacation!!….

Well rested and back from vacation, I have as promised read “The prophet”. The book is about Almustafa and the day where he is about to leave from his 12 year long stay in the city of Orphalese. I don’t know if there is any meaning to the wordplay towards “orphan”, does he regard himself as an orphan or the people of Orphalese as orphans? Well this is the day the ships comes to take him home to his isle of birth.

Khalil Gibran writes quit beautifully and has some wonderful ways to say things or emotions. I will mention some of them here:

“Suffer not yet our eyes to hunger for your face”

What a brilliant way for the elder of the city to express they feel about his departure. It is so simply and yet the sentence says all there is to say.

The book brings a very philosofic view on mans view of the world: Filled with questions most people have asked at some point of their lives. The people of Orphalese ask Almustafa in hope that he can answer them for them. Khalil writes short and precise, he doesn’t need 10 sentences to get to his point, he can do it in 1 sentence. And he’s done it so well that the book that is almost a hundred years old is still a very popular book to read.

All in all the book has a somewhat religious view on things and at the same time mixes beautifully with philosofical thoughts and spirituality. The book is for everyone who thinks and wonders about humans relationship with each other and nature and the universe.

It also makes you wonder. Why is Almustafa at Orphalese? Why does it take 12 years for a ship to arrive to take him home? Why does he still feel like a stranger after so many years? Has he really lived in his 12 years in Orphalese?

You can take as much as you feel like from this book. It is beautifully written and it is absolutely worth a read.

Enjoy 🙂

 

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Hello all!

My name is Pernille and I want to write about books and films. I’ve been reading for as long I can remember. I read anything (almost) and still I read a broad varity of books.

Films has been a big part of my life as well. It’ is just wonderful when you get that sensation of being in the story, just like the books but watching the story instead of reading it.

This is my very first blog on anything and I’ve chosen to share my 2 passions with you.

Books and films.

I’m truly excited about this, and I have so many books that I would like to talk about and almost as many films. Some are classics, some are new, some are barely worth speaking of and some take your breath away.

Stay tuned for more to come…

Sometimes I will write in danish. Alt efter humør og hvilket sprog jeg har læst bogen på vil der engang imellem komme et indlæg på dansk.

🙂